Comments on: Johnny can so program

Hand-wringing over America's supposed technical decline badly misstates the reality, UC Davis computer scientist Norm Matloff says.

Fuzzy Logic not good for Columnists

In other words, for a team to finish at, say, third place, in 1994 would be equivalent to finishing 21st this year.

I'm sorry but with math like this, it's no wonder the U.S. teams aren't performing in the top ten.

JOhn.

[CompEng]

The math

He was a little vague in his explanation, but here's what I think Norm meant.
If you're in the top 10% of the world, and there are ten entrants, you will finish first or second. If there are 200 entrants, you'll finish 1st-20th. Norm's point is that a larger sample size increases the statistical variation of placement assuming a flat distribution of competency.
So finishing 3rd in a contest implies the same level of relative competency as finishing 21st, if there are 7X as many entrants in the second contest.
I hope that's a little clearer for you.

NO SHORTAGE of Qualified AMERICAN TECH WORKERS

Great article. Glad to see that someone is allowed to de-bunk the LIES set forth by BIG BUSINESS -- the LIES about there being a "shortage" of qualified American workers. American Engineers, Scientists and Programmers put people on the moon - but since Americans want decent jobs with decent wages, Big Business makes phony claims about a "worker shortage" in order to artifically GLUT THE LABOR MARKET with additional FOREIGN WORKERS on H-1B and L-1 Visas => solely to DRIVE DOWN WAGE COSTS. ENGINEERING PAY AND BENEFITS HAVE NOT KEPT UP WITH INLFATION, UNEMPLYOMENT AND UNDER-EMPLOYMENT OF GOOD, QUALIFIED AMERICAN TECH WORKERS IS AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH, CEO PAY PACKAGES GROW EXPONENTIALLY TO OBSCENE LEVELS, while lying lobbyists bribe our lawmakers to flood our labor market with foreigners, while our own people can't get a decent job.